(UPDATE 2:53 PM) Filip Kuba has continued the trend of former Sens cashing in big on the open market, signing for two years and $8 million with the Florida Panthers.
(UPDATE 2:11)- Aaron Ward is now reporting that Matt Carkner has signed with the New York Islanders.
(UPDATE 1:56 PM)- The Senators have signed defenceman Andre Benoit. Good depth signing for Binghamton.
(UPDATE 1:33 PM)- Word is the Senators have a one year agreement in place with Guillaume Latendresse and will sign him to a contract pending a physical.
(UPDATE 1:27 PM)- Zenon Konopka has signed a two year deal with the Minnesota Wild. Interesting to note that Matt Carkner's camp is now saying nothing has officially been signed with the Avs.
(UPDATE 1:15 PM)- The Ottawa Senators have signed defenceman Mike Lundin to a one year deal worth $1.15 million.
(UPDATE 1:02 PM)- The Colorado Avalanche have signed former Sens defenceman Matt Carkner. Disappointing to see Carkner leave Ottawa. He was an important part of this team last season and will have a chance at an increased role with the Avs.
After just missing out on college defenceman Justin Schultz, the Senators now turn their attention to the open market.
As of noon today, the National Hockey League's free agency market opens up and Bryan Murray and the Ottawa Senators will be looking to make a splash. With holes in their top six forwards and top four defence, it could be a busy day in the Nation's Capital.
Zach Parise is the biggest name on the market today and initial speculation indicates the Senators have an interest and are preparing a significant offer. Obviously the Sens won't be alone in their pursuit as a number of teams are expected to make big offers to the Devils captain.
Ryan Suter is the other big fish in play today and the Senators will explore that option as well. After the top end talent, there are a number of other interesting names that should also interest the Sens.
Up front, PA Parenteau makes a ton of sense. Names like Dustin Penner, Jiri Hudler and Alex Semin could also be options for Ottawa. On the blueline, Jason Garrison, Matt Carle, Bryan Allen and Kurtis Foster have all been speculated as possibilities.
The Senators also have to keep an eye on a few of their own guys too. As of noon today, Matt Carkner, Zenon Konopka, Filip Kuba, Jesse Winchester and Matt GIlroy will all be available to the highest bidder.
And in addition to all the free agency talk, the Senators are still right in the mix on the trade front. Both Rick Nash and Niklas Hjalmarsson will be names they keep a very close eye on today.
As always, I'll do my best to keep things up to date here on the site and on Twitter.
Happy Canada Day everyone, and enjoy the Free Agent Frenzy!
bonjour i read this too about carkner. Latendresse was suck but i followed him 1 year after mtl and he is good now. I buy tickets to the senator now for the first time ever!! Thank you team for getting him. I am mtl fan at 22 years, but will watch senator this season!
Methot costs $3 million the next three years, Lantrandese is a concussed mess, we lost the heavyweight of the league and also two heart and soul guys who would drop the gloves for their teammates in a minute...and your happy with this? Get over yourself - we just took a huge step back...
Please tell me this is a fucking joke...
Welcome aboard!
As for all the other signings, they are free assets so I am fine with them.
Some of you that are sayimg today was a good day for Sens organization have no idea what your talking about ...
We took a massive step back today ...We are a budget team and if u had half a brain you should be worried ..
Methot - 3M for a guy who played 20 mins per game last year is fine. It's great, actually.
Latendresse will start next season 100% healthy. Health wise, that is all you can ask for with any player. if he gets injured again, who cares. no cap impact whatsoever.
Carkner hurts but no way he is getting signed to a 3 year deal. would you have preferred Ottawa to outbid Islanders here? No way.
Foligno and Konopka are replaceable, especially ZK.
just relax...
Worried? I'm shitting my pants, and it's only July 1... Worst. Canada Day. Ever.
Is that why the two of them were signed within 2 and a half hours into free agency?
Thank you. LNH fan of mtl, but now senator fan. Latendresse can be one of the best power forward hockey player in time, if he can stay healthy. This manager of senator really know how to find gems!! How can he get this player for so less money, I will say he knows hockey better then past mtl manager, even new manager (sry my english is bad 30 years at mtl and 1 at ott)
I respectfully disagree. I don't think that kind of character is easily "replaced"...Al l three of those guys truly cared about this team and their teammates, and I for one don't think that should have been overlooked...
By two Stanley Cup contenders! Or are you saying you wish Garth Snow was Ottawa's GM?
Just overall bummer with all this talk of going after some top grade talent, and getting another wake up call that we are'nt as close as what we thought of be out of the rebuild.... Glad we still have Zbad though...
I guess we'll be seeing our forums flooded with "Lets stop win'in to get McKinnon" :( .
Time for a beer or two or ten LOL
This guy is a slightly lower profile version of Michalek, so if he can stay healthy (fingers crossed) then those of you who haven't committed suicide because Murray didn't get Nash, Parise or Ryan will be forced to eat your hat.
Superb write up on the value of Guillaume Latendresse. Hopefully it convinces many, like it did me.
Nice write up
Not what I'm saying at all, smart guy, but you'll see next season...
Scenario - First period, Karlsson gets sucker-punched. Neil comes to his defence and is tossed from the game.
Second period - Karlsson gets drilled into the boards from behind. Phillips, Turris, Silverberg, and Reign all stare at the lovely SBP rooftop while young Erik coughs up his spleen.
Third period - Karlsson skates around nervosly, looking over his shoulder every two seconds. No passes made, no shots on goal - oh well. Only six more years.
Yes this is good. I watch him more often when was healthy. Latendresse is power forward with high goal % then most power forward hockey player. What is bad about Latendresse other then injury often in before?? I will tell you now, it is his speed.. ok I told you that but power forward do not need speed because he is very big and protects the puck. He scores at more high % then most power forward hockey player.
Methot is a solid player he was -11 in Columbus hell that's pretty good on last years team. The guy is big and doesn't get beat very often.
I think Murray still has to pull a quantity for quality deal to get rid of some bodies. Don't worry people.
Nice to read a comment from someone levelheaded.
Zack Smith smiles and says "hi".
This is very true. Latendresse watch RDS I think and hear how fast manager of Ott fix this hockey team. He speed to Ott and sign the contract lol. Latendresse is smart, he know that Ott need a power forward and he talk to senator managers. latendresse is a great leader too, you see what happen to mtl when he goes to minny? Every person here will learn this in time, if you don't know already about latendresse.
And also greening, Phillips, and methot join the festivities
Yeah?
Will he be smiling when they play the Sabres eight times next year? They just signed John Scott, by the way...Run and cover Sens, it's going to be ugly....
They are character players for sure.. but I would not want Carkner at 1.5M for 3 yrs.. when you have Ceci, Borowiecki, Gryba and maybe Weircioch coming up... Both him and Konopka were healthy scratches a lot this past season.. and Karlsson handled it just fine.
hahaha....John Scott......haha hahahha. please, please, please let John Scott be in the lineup any time we play Buffalo next year.
We have replaced Lehner? Prospects = re-build.... where have you been.
He was a healthy scratch alot on the Rangers... So I guess they just signed him to be their goon... when they already have Kaleta?
http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/8239
They make the playoffs and I guess the re-build should be over?
The Sens are not going for the Stanley Cup...
Murray said he and his 'people' really like Lundin when he was in Tampa... and they liked Methot.
I guess we should give them the benefit of the doubt.
Murray did pretty well in trading for Turris and Bishop.... but I guess some of you believe he is a bad GM. Would you sooner have Burke?
Kanopka and Carkner are not intangibles in any way. Was there a single "fighter" on LA or any of the constantly dominant teams like Detroit? NO not at all. Toughness is great and all but you have to have toughness in the players that are dressing. If you're only good enough to play in half the games you are not worth anything over a million and/or any kind of term.
Players like Neil on the other hand that are tough as hell and can contribute on a nightly basis get something in the ball park of 2 million and 3 years. How could we sign Carkner to a 3 year contract when we have tons of porspects coming up?
Kanopka if on our roster would dress less than half the games because there are other players who can contribute quality minutes in more circumstances than him. I for one am ecstatic that we are not stuck with them for the next 3 and 2 years.
Kuba also signed to way more than we would have. Method is a very similar player to Kuba but is just as big, moves better, cheaper, and entering his prime. Yes please!
Latendresse is a very solid signing in my opinion. Absolutely no risk what so ever because of his one year contract and his actually surprisingly cheap price tag. He's also entering his prime. If he is able to stay healthy he can actually be a very good 2nd liner. I remeber being very impressed by his skill when he played in Mtl and has since gotten much bigger and experienced. I think this could actually end up being one of the best bang for your buck signing of this years July1st.
Have to admit I haven't heard much about Lundin but from what I've heard he sounds like he could be much more effective than Carkner.
Still bummed Bryan Murray admitted he wont be going after Nash or Parise. I think we still need a 1st line winger but will most likely have to come through a trade. Like someone already said...a quantity for quality type trade I think still has to take place.
http://oilersnation.com/2012/6/9/should-the-oilers-pursue-guillaume-latendresse
Written from an Oilers point of view. Pretty good write up.
Lats is a good possession player that brings a lot of things and should score goals. If this deal works out for Murray, he's laughing hysterically. A million bucks for a guy that should be a 20-25 goal scorrer
Not bad.
You know why he was kicked out of MTL ....should read up on that ...lol
Russostrib
"if he's healthy, fit and motivated, he's a legit power forward"
Really ? Tootoo and "the Monster" ?
Hopefully it works out
Latendresse is signed for One year and could be the power forward all teams need.
With Neil, Smith, Cowen and Boroweicki we have plenty of grit
Anyone who thinks Carkner or Kenopka will make a difference on a cup run is a total idiot
"If healthy, Lats has a big frame and is strong on the puck. He’s got a pretty good release/shot, and prior to the concussions last season, Latendresse was starting to develop a little bit more of a physical game and a semi-noticable two-way game. He’s not a speedster, but he’s not a lead foot either.
If healthy, Lats will provide the Senators with a power forward who can win battles. He’s not a Ryan Smyth or Tomas Holmstrom, but he’s still capable of being a dominant forward who buries 25+ goals a season.
Unfortunately, Guillaume hasn’t been healthy the last two years. The concussions from last season have to be a major concern. Hopefully he can get his health back and start to reach his potential with the Senators."
Sounds good for a million bucks to me.
Ottawa did well today, The thing that I wonder about is where do they get the extra 5 mil to hit the cap floor
With Neil, Smith, Cowen and Boroweicki we have plenty of grit
/quote]
Gryba and Blood also available if needed
Also Murray did not address the void on Spezza wing!
So Murray is probally waiting till next summer when Correy Perry makes to free agency next summer.
What if Murray waiting and Perry makes it free agent?
And the biggest losers on FA day are, the Ottawa Senators!!!
Is carkner tough? Absolutely. Is he really anything more than a fringe nhl player? No. Same thing for konopka. Great guys both I'm sure, but given the wealth of prospects, I would rather see young guys given a daily opportunity rather that being always ready in case a shooting of slapshot breaks out in today's game.
I wish them all the best in their new cities.
Or maybe Andrew Ladd?
Guess the market wasn't there.
1. Gretzky got Schultz for the Oilers (Now I hate him :))
2. Nash won't change his list of cities
3. Parise would cost to much in bonuses. 24MM???
4. Sens didn't think Foligno was getting much better so they'll continue re-build with young guys and replaced Nick with Latendresse, which is a wild card
5. Replaced Kuba with Methot. Good move
No deal for top 6 winger, and no deal for top 4 defenceman.
Maybe we will see some movement on both fronts later on ??
Adding Latendresse, Methot and Lundin is all low risk and short term.
Might not see any blockbuster deal, but will wait and see ??
Fairly rough day in free agency but I have some news #Sens fans will love tomorrow. #NHL
Ok, Chirp.. It's tomorrow now... What's the news???
Tootoo and Samuleson for reasonable contracts, the goalie for depth for their farm team...so yes, really. Small, sensible moves...
If we weren't going to take a big step forward yesterday, I would have preferred to see Murray leave a few more roster spots open for young guys.
Right now we have 11 forwards under contract for next season, Spezza, Michalek, Alfie, Turris, Greening, Smith, Neil, Latendresse, Condra, Butler, and Regin, with O'brien and Daugavins RFA's and Winnie and RFA. Where are Silfverberg, Zibby, Stone, Hoffman going to fit in. It would be nice to see at least 1 or 2 of them make the big team next year.
I get that Murray still will be looking to make a quantity for quality type deal but I can't see how that will be done. I don't want to see him trade any of our top prospects unless it's for a bona fide star player and players like that never hit the trade market unless it's a situation like Nash.
Oh and right now we're sitting at a payroll of just under 50 million which means we need to spend at least another 4 million to get to the cap floor. Obviously more moves are coming.
The big news is likely that Alfie is coming back.
4 million a year for KUBA?! what a joke
4.6 million a year for 6 years for Garrison, a player with only 2 full years of NHL experience at the age of 27
4 million a year for 4 years for Parenteau who at age 29 has also only played 2 full seasons in the NHL.
3.25 million a year for Penner
2.5 a year for Prust. I like Prust but he's still just a 4th liner.
More big contracts for Sami Salo, Souray, Samuelsson
It was a very good day for the players, not so much for the GM's and owners who overpaid for guys like this.
Kanopka and Carkner are not intangibles in any way. Was there a single "fighter" on LA or any of the constantly dominant teams like Detroit? NO not at all. Toughness is great and all but you have to have toughness in the players that are dressing. If you're only good enough to play in half the games you are not worth anything over a million and/or any kind of term.
Players like Neil on the other hand that are tough as hell and can contribute on a nightly basis get something in the ball park of 2 million and 3 years. How could we sign Carkner to a 3 year contract when we have tons of porspects coming up?
Kanopka if on our roster would dress less than half the games because there are other players who can contribute quality minutes in more circumstances than him.
If you woke up this morning a lot happier with this team than you did yesterday, then good for you. I am not happier with what happened, in fact quite the opposite. That's my opinion, which I should be able to communicate on a sens forum. The bottom line is I have been a die hard fan of this team since DAY ONE, and since the last two drafts and the season in between, never been prouder. That was all erased yesterday. That's just how I feel.
As far as Carks an Konopka being just fighters, you are wrong. Carkner had enough skill for the third pairing and made effective outlet passes.. Konopka was great at face-offs. Foligno might have left us wanting more at times, but he would always come to the defense of his teammates and still had upside. Trading him away was a mistake. I've spent too many years watching the sens get pushed around and beat up while we did nothing and the other teams knew it...I'm not willing to sit through that again.
If you're happy with the new guys, great. But I think you really underestimated the importance of the three that left...
Silfverberg Turris Aldredsson
Greening Z.Smith Neil
Latendresse O'Brien Condra
Karlsson Cowen
Gonchar Methot
Phillips Borowiecki
Anderson
Bishop
Spare Forwards:
Butler
Regin
Daugavins
Stone
Da Costa
Spare Dmen:
Lundin
Weircioch
Gryba
Spare Goalie:
Lehner
Honestly I get those upset about carkner. Thats grit an toughness lost because he could still play 15 min a game. But get over konopka. He has been here 1 year. Barely played and only ever took part in staged fights. Neil and smith were the ones who defended players because they can actually play and skate and deserve ice
Latendresse is hopefully a poor man penner. If he matches foligno pt production we will be laughing. If he gets injured then we get to fast track our most nhl ready prospect. Win win
Now as for method. People really need to watch him play. I'll admit I probably would have liked to see a 3rd rounder added in but as we are well aware (by looking at salaries given out today to Harrison and kuba) top 4dmen are hard to find. Method will be the perfect 2nd pair guy. People on here actually wanted volchenkov back. Method will be solid and never plays out of his limits. He will stabilize our defense.
If Murray doesn't do anything else the rest of the way I think our team got a little worse but that all depends on the development of our prospects. If Murray adds 1 more piece (jagr/hudler?) and our prospects develop on schedule we are now a better team from 1st line to 4th and top pair to bottom pair
Any word on whether or not the Sens have any interest in Doan, Semin, Jagr, Hudler or potential trade targets like Oshie?
Ottawa was 4th best in goals scored last year, 8th worst in goals against. Pretty silly for people to suggest that we need a top 3 forward. Though adding the 240lb Latendresse with his scoring touch has plenty of potential, while costing the Sens nothing.
Back to defense. Ottawa was a defensive nightmare last year. Even with Kuba the Sens needed another top 4 defensive defensman. Cowan was not ready to fill that role last year, so Philips got the chance to fill that role again (even though is way past his prime). This year you have a team without Kuba, Gonchar will likely be traded at the deadline, and Philips is not under contract the following year (and how likely is it that he still has more than a year left in him). This team needed to add nhl caliber d-men, both to fill the spots of Carkner and Kuba, but also to build a base for future years. They added two! Both can play top four minutes, they are young, and one is big and tough, and is under contract for another 3 years @ $3mil. So we lost Foligno? The league is full of Foligno's, and without him Ottawa has room for legitimate top 6 forward prospects.
Those of you crying about the toughness/grit lost to free-agency, need to either put their think caps on, or visit your moms and have a good cry! You don't build teams around tough fighters, you build teams around high-end skill and pure talent. You can always fill-in with the character role players. And lets not forget, Ottawa still has a great core of bottom six players.
Once again my hat is off to Brian Murray.
Those are three big "ifs", aren't they?
Bottom line - he's a first round bust who is on his third team already...Hell, the habs couldn't get rid of him fast enough and took a minny first round bust in return...He did nothing with the wild, and now sens fans say he should be good for 25 goals??? I guess we said the same about filitov last year...
Shawn Simpson said latrandesse showed up to training camp 20 pounds overweight two seasons ago...What's up with that?
Wow, too many comments to even bother reading them all, that's what happens when you head out of town for a night. I guess Chirp likes the look of that.
From what I did read, fans are not happy at this point and most of it has to do with Ottawa not landing a big well known name player. And I can see that, the topic of discussion for the last few weeks has been Ottawa getting someone. But as most pointed out, don't get your hopes up, so lets take a step back and break it all down.
We lost Kuba who most people didn't want back. We got Method whom in my opinion is a better defensive D, at least he's much stronger on the puck and he's known for using his body. I have a feeling people will change the way they view this acquisition when they see him play. My concern would be the injury factor, but then again, Kuba was also known for his injuries. In the end we pick up a top 4 D for 2.25 M which is good in my books. Let's leave it at that for now.
Like most of you, I have no clue who Lundin is. I only heard what you all did, but in the case of him being in Ottawa, I would consider him our 7th guy right now, so he'll see the same type of action both Lee and Carkner did. So it's not a bad signing. The reason I say this, Borowiecki will be an Ottawa Senator this season, you watch.
Am I upset Foligno is gone. yes, cause I thought he had more to offer. But I am happy to see a slot open in the 2nd or 3rd line for one of our young guys. I expect Stone or Silf to jump into one of those positions. So it's a wash really.
Now on to Latendresse. Can't say I'm excited, but for the contract and his possible ability, he's a no risk signing to fill the top 6. He IS a top 6 guy when he's playing, for anyone who doesn't think so, check again. The question is, can he remain healthy. Remember, we all had this talk about Michalek for years, and look what he did last season. Lets's wait and see.
According to chirp, we're trying to make depth moves today and still trying to add a top 6 forward
I guess no hockey player has ever turned it around?
Methot is a top 4 d man, Latandresse only has to put up Foligno like numbers to make this a good trade.
Carkner and Kenopka will be missed for their character not for their production, fighters can be added at any time as needed
Stop falling in love with players because they once wore a Sens jersey
We need to move forward, unless we won the cup last year....
FREEBIRD
When I had read about Brodeur testing the market, I KNEW he was only doing it to put pressure on NJ to sign him. I mean, he's Martin Brodeur!!! Why would you even consider letting the guy walk for nothing? If was a no brainer they would take him back and pay big for him, they don't have anyone else that's ready to take the jump. So a 2 year $9 million is a good way to ensure they start that transition.
Carolina signed Justin Peters, so the backup position isn't a concern anymore. Wasn't expecting a big splash after signing Jordan to a 10 year deal.
The biggest shocker to me was Jonas Gustavsson going to Detroit. I know he'll be a backup, but would any of you take a gamble on him? Considering Detroit has a knack for turning coal into diamonds, this move may revive his career with a lot less pressure on his back.
Sens are also working on a couple small things today and are still hoping to add a top six forward.
Somewhere, Andrew Ladd has a broken heart.
This is indeed good news. No doubt we all knew he would come back to finish his contract.
Although I am really looking to add a Ryan to our top 6 as long as it's a smart move. A Ryan on our LW with Turris and Alfie... or a Ryan on LW with Spezz and Michalek... though michalek would prob have to get traded for us to get ryan
That's great news Chirp but I'm not the least bit surprised.
He has a last chance to try and win a Stanley Cup !!
The asking price will be enormous, but he would be an awesome addition for sure.
While they WERE INDEED not the one's 90% of fans were hoping for, they were indeed improvements on what we had. Let's break this down.
Methot for Kuba. Guys, this is a no brainer. Marc Methot is a much better defenceman than Kuba, who is a BIG dude that likes to use his size, block shots, and help keep the puck out of the net. THIS IS THE TYPE OF DEFENCEMAN WE NEED GUYS. Someone who isn't soft and can play solid D.
Lats for Nicky. I am sad to see Nicky go, because I thought he had more and more to prove. But the fact of the matter is, Murray wanted to add more scoring to the second line. And while Nicky does a lot of things well, HE REALLY ISN'T A LEGIT *SCORER*. Guillaume Latendresse, IF healthy, has a pedigree to score. And for the price and term he was given, if he pans out, this is an EXCELLENT value deal for the Sens. He should look good either with Spezz, or with Kyle and Alfie which is where he's supposed to be. But he's exactly the powerforward we've always needed. He's a BIG guy that knows how to use his size unlike Nicky, and again the keyword is that he can SCORE. Which is what we need.
Lundin= depth signing. Solid D man, but if Borowiecki emerges, this guy is our 7th D. If Borocop struggles, which is okay because he will be a rookie, Lundin slides in and serves as a serviceable, cheap, safe insurance policy. That's the point of this signing. Depth.
Thye may not have been blockbusters, but with these additions, and the emergence of second year Jared Cowen, Smithy, Condra, Greening, and rooks Silfverberg and perhaps Mika+Stone [who personally I would like to see with Bingo], this is going to be an exciting team to watch play next year.
Less goals scored agains/Less PENALTY MINUTES TAKEN/More goals scored.
You're real butthurt aren't you? Yet at the same time you're applying double standards to a guy you haven't even seen play a single game in Sens uniform.
You know who else was injury prone and had question marks? Milan Michalek. Yeah, the same guy who helped lead this team this year but previously was a health hazard. It's the same shit. Why don't we trade him away? Oh wait, because when he IS healthy, he's somewhat effective... When he was traded here, I was one of the many who voiced my concern, and did NOT want this guy at all. Chemistry, style of play, etc. Two years later, and I was wrong. He's a big part of our group, and I casted him off before I even saw him play. He's finally picked up his game, and comfortable with us.
How about you wait until the season gets going and underway before throwing this team under the bus.
The price seems pretty good
And if it is a 1 yr deal he will likely out perform the pay. Lats is a good power forward, but he has motivation issues. If it is a multi yr deal he will likely show up over weight and out of shape. He tends to play for his next contract so on a 1 yr deal he will put in the effort in the offseason and should be ready to go. I like his game and his skill set but not his work ethic. On a one yr deal, barring injury he should provide more production then you r paying for.
Echoing a bit...
Lats is a strong player, as long as he can stay healthy. He has a sick shot, can score from anywhere, and always seems to know exactly where the net is. As Jesse said, he’s not exactly the fastest guy in the world, but he is certainly at least average. He’s a prototypical power forward, so feeding him the puck in front of the net is the best use of his time.
He’ll be a good fit. Again, so long as he is actually there. Rumors (and that’s all I have) is that he may not have been overly popular amongst “the boys,” but he can be very good on the ice.
He had a quote last week
where he basically made it clear that Ottawa was the only place he had any interest in playing. Probably saved you guys some money, and at least at the moment, you can know that he really wants to be there
With that loophole, yeah it could happen to any team now. The players today are real different than those coming into the league in the 60s 70s.
It seems more than ever that the agents are running the show... Imagine that if MZ didn't want to come here, and opted for free agency... Oh boy.
Guillaume Latendresse was not a first round pick.
Luckily BM gets his talented draft picks under contract early, so MZ would have to suck it up if he didn't want to play because he already signed the dotted line.
Nothing ...official Alfie hasnt even started working out yet (one ice) ..
Id wait till Alfie says something probably before training camp or after
You know who else was injury prone and had question marks? Milan Michalek. Yeah, the same guy who helped lead this team this year but previously was a health hazard. It's the same shit. Why don't we trade him away? Oh wait, because when he IS healthy, he's somewhat effective... When he was traded here, I was one of the many who voiced my concern, and did NOT want this guy at all. Chemistry, style of play, etc. Two years later, and I was wrong. He's a big part of our group, and I casted him off before I even saw him play. He's finally picked up his game, and comfortable with us.
How about you wait until the season gets going and underway before throwing this team under the bus.
This is where we differ -when michalek was traded here, I was happy, because I did my research and knew the type of player he was...in fact, I predicted he would be the better between he and Heatly, and applauded BM for getting what he did under the circumstances...
As fans, we don't have to love every stinking move that's made by BM...if I asked you last week what you thought of lantrandresse, you would have probably said he's garbage - now, because he's in a sens jersey, he's going to be a great top 6, score 25 goals, lots of upside, etc...How does that help when discussing the team? At least I bring an honest opinion to the table...
Then the fans watched the toughness ship out of town (again) when Konopka signed with Minny & Carkner signed finally with the Isles. Next they watched Murray & company sign injury prone misfit Lantendresse. Is this the best they could do? Is this the 25 goal forward they were after? If that wasn't bad enough Murray sends fan favourite Nick Foligno to Columbus for Marc Methot, a local francophone defenceman. I get the feeling they are working hard to appease the Francophones in Ottawa/Gatineau lately with drafting Pageau & Brassard & trading for Latendresse.
They send away a character player that the fans & teammates love in Foligno & bring in Latendresse a guy with character issues when he was with Montreal & compete issues & injury issues. Makes no sense to me. This could easily go the wrong way for them.
I don't know what they are going to do to address the toughness issue on this team now. Spezza, Alfredsson, Silfverberg, Karlsson, Condra & the rest of the skilled players just got smaller with no one to protect them. After a great season last yr, this yr has started poorly & on a sour note. Too bad but this franchise has a way of shooting itself in the foot time & time again. It's always either too much skill & not enough toughness or too much toughness & not enough skill. They have yet to find that perfect balance.
Wrong ...! Check your info again ..Where did u hear this ..where is your source ???
Finally! Someone who gets it...
Great post and thank you for telling it like it is...sometimes the truth is hard to take, but needs to be said...
Adding Matt Carle would be a centrepiece on the blueline and take the pressure off of Karl on the PP.
Murray 'supposedly' isn't done. Hopefully it's something that makes sense!
What really pisses me off is that Murray didnt clone Gretzky and then sign him. What a useless tit of a GM.
one of: Doan or Jagr
and one of: Matt Carle or Hjalmarsson
depth depth depth and experience experience experience.
i think the methot trade is really good. he is signed to a really decent contract and I can see him easily being paired with anywhere on the sens D. Foligno was RFA and was going to want more money than deserved. Sens got out of a possible ooverpayment while automatically getting a young, strong, physical defensive defenseman. There is also more than enough forward prospect depth coming through.
Sens were thin on high level nhl d-men going forward. Methot just filled that gap and Lundin fills in the bottom end depth.
Latendresse fills up Foligno's hole at a very very very low risk. he looks motivated & if PaulMac has his way, this guy will perform.
You are Stupid and gay!
Shut up you fag!
FREEBIRD !
So you're a homophobe ?